Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Justice for the Emirates One

Wed May 06 08:54AM

If Bob Dylan only ever writes one song about a Scottish utility player, it will surely centre on the unjust red card that rules Darren Fletcher out of the Champions League final.

Fletcher is the victim of a miscarriage of justice that ranks him alongside Ruben 'Hurricane' Carter, the A-Team and Matthew Rose off EastEnders.

The most one-sided semi-final for years was ambling to its conclusion when Cesc Fabregas ran through on goal.

Given the state of the tie, Fletcher might have been better off just letting the Arsenal skipper score, but instead he hooked his right foot around Fabregas's body to make a brilliant goal-saving tackle.

Rosetti, who was following the play, could not have seen the tackle but ruled that Fletcher had fouled Fabregas. Following the letter of the law, he had no choice but to send the United man off, because any foul would obviously have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Nobody is expected to feel sorry for United, least of all Spurs fans whose Schadenfreude can be easily explained with the words Howard and Webb.

But the point is that, as Fletcher's red card did not affect the result (imagine if it had...) and the situation can easily be rectified. And yet it seems it won't be.

Even Alex Ferguson seemed more dumbfounded than angry. His mood may have been mellowed by humbling his nemesis Arsene Wenger, or perhaps he was just thinking 'thank God it wasn't Rooney'.

It is often said that the powers-that-be risk undermining referees' authority if they keep reversing their decisions retrospectively. Well, nothing undermines Rosetti like the possibility that his blatant error might be compounded by UEFA upholding Fletcher's suspension.

In any case, it once again demonstrates the need for video technology such as that used in... oh, every other major sport. If it's good enough for cricket, rugby, tennis and every US sport, it is surely good enough for football.

Now, there is always a chance that UEFA might change the ruling anyway. After all, they caved in to an epic level of Liverpudlian whingeing in 2005 and allowed Rafa Benitez's side in to defend their title.

But you can't help feeling the whole farrago could have been avoided if UEFA employed one bloke whose only job was to say: "That was a rubbish decision, change it."

- - -

Joey Barton has no apparent redeeming features, but perhaps the worst aspect of his latest indiscretion is the sheer vitriol he stirs up in Joe Public.

Early Doors trawled through the user comments on yesterday's story announcing his suspension by Newcastle and waded straight into what a tabloid newspaper would no doubt call an 'orgy of hate'.

Barely a single contributor managed to have their say without blurting out the words 'thug', 'scum' or 'aminal'.

The standard suggestion was a life ban from football, while others proposed that he be bussed straight back to Strangeways or inserted directly into a filthy gutter.

Any comments attempting to stick up for Barton - or even mitigate the criticism - quickly accumulated so many thumbs down they disappeared from view.

Later on Tuesday afternoon, Danny Murphy gave his views in a column for this site entitled 'Don't crucify Barton' suggesting that, while he has brought this situation on himself and deserves the criticism levelled at him by Alan Shearer, he should have the chance to redeem himself.

Never has the claim that a man should not be nailed to a cross and left to die created such a ruckus. Not since biblical times, anyway.

Some chump called Ken A weighed in with a grammatically-priceless opening gambit, slamming Murphy for daring to show a bit of human compassion: "murphy your a idiot how many chances does he want­ please keep away from liverpool"

That pretty much set a tone of universal condemnation and much foaming at the mouth.

One thing that nobody could explain was why they were so angry.

Was it for the tackle which, while rash, was no worse than dozens of challenges seen every season?

Was it for the bust-up with Shearer, about which we know only what we were told on the back pages of Tuesday's Sun?

Was it for his previous misdemeanours, for which we have all had plenty of opportunity to vent our spleen?

Why would Barton provoke a reaction every bit as violent, malicious and spiteful as anything he has ever done?

ED suspects envy that a young and largely horrible man has made millions from playing football and still can't control his violent, antagonistic tendencies.

And maybe there were a few self-esteem issues at work - people desperate to denigrate somebody who they could easily identify as being worse than them.

Whatever, it was a horribly undignified spectacle, with many people exhibiting precisely the same wild-eyed bloodlust that caused Barton to beat up an innocent teenager in the street or attack a team-mate in training.

In the infamous BrassEye special of 2001, a spoof news programme throws a paedophile to a baying mob, who promptly rip him limb from limb. ED fears Barton would suffer the same fate.

Joey Barton gallery of hate (unedited version)

fred.bell: Like most views on this story I can only agree that­ this guy is beyond help. He should be declared­ unemployable. And then watch him descend into the­ gutter from whence he came.

trentbridge47: don't think there is enough therapy in the world­ for this guy
hope newcastle take the loss and nobody­ with a bit of common sense buys him. but i guarantee­ one of the promoted teams does probally birmingham that­ would be a great midfield with bowyer just needs fred­ west and peter sutcliffe and Fritzell from Austria

carl.john64: if a dog had behaved the way barton has recently it­ would be put down as a danger,it is a pitty we can not­ do that. with his violent nature on and of the playing­ field the @#$% should be sacked and banned from­ football for life

smurf86: Joey Barton is a disgusting horrible piece of work.­ This suspension is long overdue. The guy should be­ kicked out never to return. Earning the sort of money a­ footballer earns should be a privilege and this guy is­ sub-human and certainly doesn't deserve it. He is­ bad through and through. Goodbye and good riddance I­ say.

abbot59: Sack him, then no other club should touch him. Let the­ scumbag disappear into oblivion. The @#$% is evil, its­ in his blood.

Dannystewart84: I hope Joey Barton gets lynched- absolute scum! I would­ punch him in the face if I ever saw him in the street.

Bryanrichardson: I GOT A PHOTOGRAPH OF HIM CUTTING GRASS DURING HIS­ COMMUNITY SERVICE I THEN SNAPPED HIM BEING DROPPED OFF­ AT A BETTING SHOP WHILE THE REST OF HIS FELLOW­ CRIMINALS WAITED IN THIER PUNISHMENT VAN , SICKENING

Seanjnr: He should not be left near anybody .... "SOLITARY­ CONFINEMENT FOR LIFE" ... full stop !

- - -

HEADLINES OF THE DAY. NOT

The Sun: Ro-Man Emperor
Daily Mirror: Show me the way to go Rome!
Daily Express: Cristiano Rome-aldo
Daily Mail: Rome-aldo
Star: Ron's Rome 'n dry

Where's the final again?

FOREIGN VIEW: 'Yes, Barca!' That is the best headline El Mundo Deportivo can come up with ahead of Barcelona's trip to Stamford Bridge. They're playing an English team, see?

COMING UP: Chelsea v Barcelona kicks off at 19:45 UK time and we're doing the full works once again. ED suspects it will be a good one.

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